Underwater vehicle



June 22, 1965 Q I E. D. BUIEY 3,190,256

UNDERWATER VEHICLE Filed June 18, 1964 IIIIIIIIIIIIII z- INVENTOR EMERSON D. BUIE M M 4M" ATTORNEYS can accomplish all of the above objects.

United States Patent 3,190,256 UNDERWATER VEHICLE Emerson D. Buie, Port Tobacco, Md. (Star Rte. 1, La Plata, Md.) Filed June 18, 1964, Ser. No. 376,060 16 Claims. (Cl. 11522.2)

This invention relates to an underwater vehicle, and more particularly to an underwater vehicle which has means for holding it at any given depth, and which can have means for propelling it through the water.

In recent, years, diving has become an increasingly popular sport, and more and more people are becoming adept at the use of the so-called self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. While the use of such an apparatus, particularly with swimming fins or the like, enables the diver to move about quite freely underwater, it does not enable him to hover substantially motionless at a desired .depth without the expenditure of considerable effort and the consequent expenditure of both his own energy and does not permit him to rest, except while on the bottom. Nevertheless, it is often desirable to hover at a given depth in order to observe an object, or simply to observe the activities of fish and the like going on around the diver. It is also desirable to be able to move about underwater at a given depth easily and with little expenditure of energy.

Heretofore it hasgenerally been thought that to'support a diver on an underwater vehicle, the vehicle itself must havesome sort of buoyancy control means, such as bottles of high'pressure gas, valves, controls, etc., on the order of the apparatus provided on a submarine, was

necessary. It has now been found that a very simple apparatus which can be used to control buoyancy and yet which has no complicated high pressure gas system with the necessary valves and the expense and upkeep which goes with such a complex system. 7

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle which enables a diver with a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus to hover at a desired depth by using heretofore wasted air exhausted from the diving apparatus, and to move around freely at the desired depth without an undue expenditure of energy and while in a sitting position. In this position the diver has an unexcelled-view of his surroundings. s

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a vehicle which has no high pressure gas system or complex valving system, and which therefore is simple and inexpensive to operate and maintain, the initial expense of the vehicle being low as compared to the usual underwater vehicle, and the expense of refilling gas hottles and the effort of checking out valve systems being avoided.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a vehicle which can beeasily and safely manipulated to change depth with littleor no effort on the part of the diver other than normal breathing.

It is a still further object of theinvention to provide such a vehicle which is simple and lightweight, yet which Another object of the invention is to provide such a vehicle which can be easily dismantled for transportation, and which is easily assembled for use, and which is easy and inexpensive to make. l v I The .vehicle according to the invention comprises a buoyancy chamber which has the bottom thereof open, and which has air conduit means therein with an opening in the air conduit means within the chamber. The air conduit means opens outrof the top of the buoyancy chamber. Beneath the buoyancy chamber is meansfor holding a passenger, and supporting the divers air bottle,

Patented June 22, 19 65 such as a seat, and the vehicle can also be provided with stabilizing mean's and propelling means. The diver simply sits on the seat, and the 'air exhausted from his diving apparatus collects within the buoyancy chamber until the level of the water in the chamber reaches the level of the opening in the air conduit means. At this point, the air escapes from the buoyancy chamber through the air conduit means at the same rate that it enters from the exhaust of the diving apparatus. This enables the buoyancy to remain stable, so that the vehicle can remain at a given depth. If it is desired to change the depth the air conduit means is raised or lowered, thereby decreasing or increasing the amount of air collected in the buoyancy chamber above the opening in the air conduit means, and thereby decreasing or increasing the buoyancy, thus causing the vehicle to descend or ascend until buoyancy equilibrium is reached at a new depth.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description, and claims taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the vehicle according to the present invention; I

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is .a front elevation view 'of the vehicle of FIG.'1; and

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view, partly in section, and on an enlarged scale, of a part of the vehicle of FIGS. 1-3.

As seen in FIGS. 1-3, the vehicle comprises a buoyancy chamber 10, which is here shown as substantially rectangular with downwardly and outwardly flared walls, and having the bottom open. Clearly, the rectangular shape is not of the essence, any other convenient shape being possible. r i

The bottom edges '11 of the downwardly extending walls of the buoyancy chamber 10 are turned in for a purpose which will be explained hereinafter. Within the chamber, preferably at the top thereof, are a plurality of baflles 12, here shown as extending from sidewall to sidewall at right angles to each other, and the bafiles 12 have small spaces between the upper edges thereof and the inside surface of the top of the buoyancy chamber10. The purpose of this will also be explained hereinafter.

V Mounted on the inside surface of the top .of the buoyancy chamber .10 and extending downwardly into the chamber is a mounting means in the form of a valve post 19, shown on an enlarged scale in FIG. 4, having avalve mounting sleeve 20 slidable thereon, and securing means in the form of a thumbscrew 21 in the sleeve 20 for securing the sleeve to the post at any desired position along the length of the post. Mounted on the sleeve20 is a hose mounting plate 22 having hose mounting straps 23 thereon extending around a hose sleeve '24 positioned perpendicularly to the length of the post 19.

Secured in the hose sleeve 24 is an air conduit means in the form of a hose 25 which in the present embodiment extends in both directions from the sleeve 24 to the top of the buoyancy chamber 10 and opens out through the top of the. buoyancy chamber. A valve opening is provided in the hose 25 adjacent the hose sleeve 25 so that air in the buoyancy chamber can flow through the valve 26, the hose 25 and out through the top of, the buoyancy chamber 10.

, Suspended fronibeneath the buoyancy chamber 10 is" means for holding a passenger, and on which the air bottleframe members 16 extend outwardly and then downwardlyfrom the front and rear walls of the buoyancy chamber, and the seat 15 is secured tothe free ends of these frame membersa Nuts and bolts can be used for attaching theframe members and the seat so that these parts can be. readily assembled and disassembled. Ap-

propriate ballast weights can be mounted onthe seat15, several suchweights 18 being shown in the drawing.

Mounted on the front frame member isa depth gauge 7 the valve opening 26; At this point, the vehicle will be stationary in the, water. a The diver, preferably wearing a position and equilibrium will again be established,;thi s" time at a lesser depth.

self-contained underwater breathing apparatus of the open circuit demand type,.then seats himself onthe seat-15,-

and the added weight will cause the vehicle to sink slowly adjuststheposition, of sleeve on post 19 by loosening 20 through-the Water. I The diver reaches over his head and 7 It will be seen'that during allof these movements, the V diver is simply sitting still on the seat 15, exerting little.

or no eifort and breathing quietly, His strength is therefore conserved, and his air supply is being used at then most economical rate. a

In order to prevent the air bubble from accidentally spilling out of the buoyancy chamber,- theinwardly turned 1 edges 11 'on the downwardly extending walls of the buoyancy chamber are provided. They will trap the air in 1' the buoyancy chamber when it is tilted at a relatively steep angle, whereas if they were not present, the airin the' 'bubble wouldspill out from under the edges. of the down- I wardly extending .Walls. Likewise the bafiles 51-2 .act to prevent the air bubble from collecting all in oneside'of I the buoyancy chamber when the'chamber is tilted. Small pocketsof air will collect in the sides of each 'of' the spaces defined by the bafiies, but, these smaller. pockets:

will be distributed relatively, evenly over the entire upper surface of the buoyancy chamber 1 0, and thus-will tend to keep the chamber in the horizontal position. However,

thumbscrew Y21 and sliding sleeve 20.,down. This stops air from escaping through valve'ppening26, and the air exhausted from the diving apparatus will rise 'and be addedto the air bubble. in the buoyancy chamber 10 until 7 the buoyancy of the air bubble trapped in the buoyancy chamber 10 just balances the weight of the submerged.

vehicle plus the submerged diver. The air exhausted from the divers divingapparatus will continue to rise through the open bottom of the buoyancy chamber 10 and collect within the buoyancy chamber. However, since this will tend to .enlargethe air bubble,.and thus lower the level of the water in the chamber, the valve opening 26 will be exposed thus permitting air to escape from the bubble. The air escaping in this manner, will equal the air which is added to. the bubble from the air exhausted from the diving apparatus.

When the buoyancy of the a ir bubble and the weight of the vehicle andthe diver are in balance, thevehicle' will hover, the air escaping from the air bubblein the buoyancy chamber at the same rate at whichit is added thereto from the exhaust of the diving apparatus. The position of sleeve 20 on post 19 is the neutral buoyancy position. a

If his desired to move to a greaterdepth, the diver reaches over his head and, by loosening the thumbscrew 21 and sliding the'valve mounting sleevefi20 upwardly along the valve post 19 raises the valve opening 26 above the water level in the buoyancy chamber. This permits air to escape from the air bubble, reducing its size and hence its buoyancy. The weight of "the diver and the the spaces left between the balfles and the inside surface of the top of the buoyancy chamber will permittair to' leak back and ,forth between'the spaces defined by the battles, so that each space doesnot have a completely isolated air bubble.

It has been found in practice'that themovements of the vehicle both up and down are very slow, and can be easily controlled by adjustment of the valve mounting a sleeve. It has also been found, possible to'control ascendingmovement by having the diver breathe fastenythereby exhausting airfr-om the diving apparatusat a faster rate and lncreaslng the size of the air bubble in the buoyancy chamber at a faster rate. This can ,also be'used to start 7 the ascent, when the sleeve,20 isused. The weight of the diver and vehicle is overcome more quickly if this is done, but not so quickly that the vehicle cannot be fully vehicle thus predominate, causingfthe vehicle ,to sink to a greater depth. -When the desired depth is reached, the sleeve 20 .is returned to the neutral buoyancy posi- .tion at which the weight of the diver and vehicle will.

again be in equilibrium with the buoyant force of the air.

bubble and the vehicle will gain hover, this time at the I greater depth 7 g If it is desired to move to a lesser depth, the diver reaches over'his head and, again looseningthe thumb screw, but this time sliding the valve mounting sleeve downwardly along the valve post, lowers the valve; opene ing 26 below the water level in the-buoyancy chamber,

This prevents air from escaping from the air bubbleuntil the water level is lowered to the new level of the valve opening 26. Lowering of the'water level will be brought controlled at all times.

Likewise descending movement can also be controlled by the breathing of the diver. If he slows his breathing,v

less exhaust air will enter the air bubble in the buoyancy chamber 10, and it will decrease. in size. When normal breathing resumed, the air bubble will regain its proper size and since the sleeve 20 has not been moved from 1 the'neutral buoyancy position, equilibrium will ,again be reached.

Because it is often ratherdark under the water, and; because thevalve post 19is not in-a spot at which it is easily visible, it has been found desirable to provide on the'valve post 19 valvesetting indicator marks-21in, the form of nicks. or other depressions-in the valve post- 19. Thesemarkscan be, felt by the diver jso that he: can

identify the point on the post at which the sleeve :is in 3 the neutral buoyancy position, sothat when .the diver, j

' feels the sleeveat a particular mark he can tell that it is about by the air exhausted from the .Idivingapparatus which collects in the buoyancy chamber. As exhausted air isiadded to the' air bubble, the buoyancyythereof increases, and the vehicle will start to rise.. It will continue to rise because exhaust air is'added to the air. bubble to lower-the water level in the buoyancychamber. to the level of the .valve opening 26. When the desired .depth is.

reached the sleeve 20 is returnedito the neutral buoyancy in theneutralsbuoyancy position, and when he desires: to move to a dlfrerent depth, he can tell by sense of touch how far to, move the valve mounting sleeve 20 to return the sleeve to the neutral'buoyancy position. i

In order to provide stability in the lateral direction, it has been'found. desirable to addtothe basic vehicle.

stabilizer'meansa Such means is in the form of a stabi;

lizer wing-13 mounted on the'top of the buoyancy chamber 10 on a wing mounting block 13a, for example by means. of bolts to permit easygassembly and disassemblyl The wing 13 extends beyond the edges of the buoyancy chamber 10 and on the oppositeends of the, wing ares;

downwardly depending stabilizer :fins 14. .Side. vframe members 17 extend from the ends of the wing 1 tothe' seat 15. t

It has also been founddesirable to provide means for propelling the vehicle ,throughthe water.', One fsuch simple means which does not addimuch weight' or com plex structure to the vehicle is 'shown'in the drawings,

and comprises thrust members pivotally mounted on the vehicle and movable by the passenger for propelling the vehicle through the water. The thrust members are mounted on an axle 28 which is fixed in axle mounting lugs 29 on the top of the buoyancy chamber 10. The ends of the axle are'rotatablymounted in side frame members 17. A thrust rod sleeve 31 is' transversely secured on an axle sleeve 30 rotatably positioned on the axle 28, and slidably positioned within the thrust rod sleeve 31 is a thrust rod 32 with a 'cap 33 thereon to prevent it from falling through the sleeve 31. Mounted on a lateralprojection on the thrust rod 32 is a thrust plate 34 in the form of a relatively rigid rubber plate. In the rest position of the thrust rods 32, i.e. when they are hanging straight down, the thrust plates 34 are substantially horizontal and are curved slightly convexly downwardly. When they are swung forwardly of the vehicle they will be in a more nearly vertical position.

To propelthe vehicle, the passenger grasps the thrust plates by the top edges, which are within convenient the thrust rods forwardly. Because the thrust plates 34 are nearly horizontal in the rest position, they are feathered as they are swung forward, thus exerting but little backward thrust on the vehicle. The thrust plates 34 are then swung downwardly and rearwardly, and because they are flexible, they will be set at an angle of attack which causes the concave side of the thrust plates 34 to press against the water and give a forward and slight upward thrust to the vehicle. If the plates 34 .are pushed forwardly to an extreme position, in which the thrust rods are nearly horizontal, and a strong downward and rearwardpull is exerted on them, the plates will flex so that they press downwardly on the water much more strongly than when the forward swinging of the thrust rods is not so extreme. In this way the thrust plates 34 can be used to drive the vehicle upwardly through the water to some extent.

This propelling means therefore requires energy somewhat on the order of a person rowing a boat. The diver remains seated, and need exert no effort to maintain his depth position, this beingautomatically taken care of by the buoyancy chamber. Moving the vehicle in the reverse direction is accomplished, somewhat less efliciently to be sure,.by reversing the above actions, while turning is accomplished in a manner similar to turning a boat by the use of oars, pulling in one direction on one thrust handle and pushing in the opposite direction on the other handle.

In order to facilitate movement through the water, the openings at the ends of air hose 25 are positioned beneath stabilizer wing 13 to give slightly added lift thereto while the vehicle is moving. This aids the gliding motion of the vehicle through the water. V

A diver will sometimes wish to leave the vehicle and make his way along the bottom of a body of water, leaving the vehicle behind. This can be done easily by merely dismounting 'from the seat and turning the vehicle on its side to spill the air from the buoyancy chamber. The vehicle will then remain in position on its side until it is desired to use it again. When it is desired to mount the vehicle again, however, some diflireach of his position seated on the seat 15, and swings vehicle can hover at any chosen depth, and the control for changing depth is a simple movement of the valve opening '26 up or down. The diver need exert little or no elfort during the use of the vehicle, and consequently his strength is conserved and his air supply used most efiiciently. The vehicle can be easily constructed so as to be readily assembled and disassembled for transportation to and from bodies of water, and the small number of movable parts and their simplicity make care and maintenance easy and simple.

It is thought'that the invention and its advantages will be understood. from the foregoing description and it is apparent that various changes maybe made in the form, construction and arrangement'of the parts without departing trom the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

. .Whatisclaimedis: a

1. An underwater vehicle, comprising. a buoyancy chamber having an opening in the bottom thereof adapted to receive air exhausted from a diving apparatus, air

conduit means .rn'ountedwithin said buoyancy chamber culty may be encountered in stooping down and getting into position on the seat while holding the vehicle upright. To make this easier, there is a small compressed gas cartridge 36, forexample of CO mounted on the inside wall of the buoyancy chamber, with a valve controlled by a lanyard thereon. The vehicle is lifted up right by hand, and the lanyard pulled to release the gas into the buoyancy chamber. The vehicle will then be- 7 come buoyant and will begin to rise, whereupon it will be substantially weightless, thereby making it easy to mount.

There has thus been provided an underwater vehicle which is not only simple in its construction, but very safe to use, being easy to control and manipulate. The

and having an opening therein within the chamber, said air conduit means being movable up and down in said buoyancy chamber, one end opening out through the top of said buoyancy chamber, and means on said buoyancy chamber for holding a passenger beneath the open bottom of the buoyancy chamber.

2. An underwater vehicle, comprising a buoyancy chamber having the bottom thereof open, air conduit means mounted within said'buoyancy chamber and having an opening therein within the chamber, said air conduit means being movable'up and down in said buoyancy chamber, one end opening out through the top of said buoyancy chamber, and means on said buoyancy chamber for holding a passenger beneath the open bottom of the buoyancy chamber.

3. An underwater vehicle, comprising a buoyancy chamber having the bottom thereof open, 'air conduit means mounted within said buoyancy chamber and having an opening therein within the chamber, one end thereof opening out through the top of said buoyancy chamber, air conduit mounting means within said buoyancy chamber movable up and down in said buoyancy chamber and having securing means as a part thereof for securing said mounting means in any one of a plurality of positions in the buoyancy chamber, said air conduit means mounted in said mounting means, and means on said buoyancy chamber for holding a passenger beneath the open bottom of the buoyancy chamber. a

4. An underwater vehicle, comprising a buoyancy chamber having the bottom thereof open, a flexible air hose within said buoyancy chamber with at least one end thereof opening out through the top of said buoyancy chamber, said air hose having an opening therein Within the buoyancy chamber, hose mounting means within said buoyancy chamber movable up and down in said buoyancy chamber and having securing means as a part thereof for securing said'mounting means in any one of a plurality of positions in the buoyancy chamber, said hose being mounted in said mounting means with the opening in said hose adjacent said mounting means, and means on said buoyancy chamber for holding a passenger beneath the open bottom of the buoyancy chamber. 5. An underwater vehicle as claimed in claim 4 in which said mounting means comprises a valve post extending downwardly from the top of said chamber, and hose holding means 'slidably mounted on said post, said post having indicator means thereon adapted to be felt by the passenger for indicating the vertical position of which the bottom edge of said buoyancy chamber is turned inwardly to form a loathe to prevent air from;

spilling outof said chamber.

7. An underwater vehicle as claimed in claim which said buoyancy chamber has. a plurality of baffles in the inside of the top thereof, said bafiles'extendingl at angles to each other and having spaces between the upper edges thereof and the insideof the top of the chamber,

whereby air does not collect in one corner of the chamber when the chamber is at an angle to the horizontal;

' 8. An underwater vehicle as claimed in claim 4 further comprising a compressed. gas cartridge within said chamber for releasing gas into the chamber. to provide buoyancy for the chamber when-"gas has escaped from within the chamber duringa diving operation. i I

9. An underwater vehicle as claimed in claim 4in I which sii'drrieans forholding a passenger is a seat .positioned below-said buoyancy chamber,"and frame members extending between said-seat and said buoyancy chamber.

10. An underwater vehicle, comprising a' buoyancy chamber having the bottom thereof open, air conduit means mounted within said bu'oyancychamber and having an. opening tthereiri within the chamber, said air conduit imeans being movable up and .down'in said buoyancy,

chamber, one end opening out throughuthe top of said buoyancy chamber, means on said buoyancy chamber for holding a passenger beneath the openbo-t'tom of the buoyancy chamber, and stabilizer; means onsaid vehicle for stabilizing the buoyancy chamber'in thehorizont-al thrust-members pivotal-1y mounted onsaid vehicle and 1 movable by the passenger for propelling the vehicle which said wing extends laterallyof the buoyancy cham:

her and has verticalstabilizer fins on the ends thereof.

'13. An underwater vehicle as claimed in claim \1 '1fin which the opening for said air conduit means "is beneath V said wing. e

14. An underwater vehicle,,"comprising a buoya'ncy chamber having the bo'ttom thereof open, air conduit means mounted within said buoyancy chamber and having an opening therein within the chamber, said; air

conduit means beingrnovable up andvdowninlsaid vbuoyancy chamber, tone end-opening out through the top'pf said buoyancy chamber, means on said buoyancy chamher for holding a passenger beneath the openbo-ttom 'of 1 the buoyancy chamber, stabilizermeans onsaid vehicle for stabilizing the buoyancy chamber in the horizontal position during movement of the, vehicle, through the water, and propelling means on said vehicle for, propelling it through the water. e V g p I 15. An underwater-vehicle as claimed in claim ,14 in which said propelling means comprise hand opera-ted through the water. ,7 a

16. An underwater vehicle as claimed in claim 15 in which said thrust members comprise thrust rods pivotally mounted on said buoyancy, chamber for. pivotingmove, mentaround a horizontal axis, and thrust platest'on the. ends of said thrust rods extending laterally. outwardly of v the vehicle, said thrust plates at their rest position with the thrust rods vertical being curved slightly convexly downwardly of the vehicle.

No references cited.

, MILTON BUCHLE'R, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN UNDERWATER VEHICLE, COMPRISING A BUOYANCY CHAMBER HAVING AN OPENING IN THE BOTTOM THEREOF ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AIR EXHAUSTED FROM A DIVING APPARATUS, AIR CONDUIT MEANS MOUNTED WITHIN SAID BUOYANCY CHAMBER AND HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN WITHIN THE CHAMBER, SAID AIR CONDUIT MEANS BEING MOVABLE UP AND DOWN IN SAID BUOYANCY CHAMBER, ONE END OPENING OUT THROUGH THE TOP OF SAID BUOYANCY CHAMBER, AND MEANS ON SAID BUOYANCY CHAMBER FOR HOLDING A PASSENGER BENEATH THE OPEN BOTTOM OF THE BUOYANCY CHAMBER. 